United Methodist Church offers greetings to Nazarenes in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
The following letter was sent to Church of the Nazarene General Secretary Jack Stone as General Assembly began by Michael J. Coyner, Resident Bishop, Indiana Area of The United Methodist Church:

Dr. Jack Stone, General Secretary
Church of the Nazarene General Assembly
Indiana Convention Center

Greetings to the members of the Church of the Nazarene meeting in Indianapolis.

As Bishop of the Indiana Area of The United Methodist Church, I welcome you on behalf of the 210,000 members and 1,200 clergy of The United Methodist Church in Indiana.

I welcome you, too, because of our common historical roots as churches of the Wesleyan tradition. The Wesleyan movement came to Indiana in 1801 and, during the past 200 years influenced the religious beliefs and culture of this state.

I also greet you because I believe we hold more in common as churches than we differ. Our common goal is making disciples for Jesus Christ, who is our hope for the transformation of the world. I appreciate your holiness of life as expressed by John Wesley and for your witness in our world. As Hoosier United Methodists, we, like you, have reached out to a needy world when the tsunami disaster hit South Asia. To date, Indiana¿s United Methodists have given more than $1 million for disaster relief, including the rebuilding of the Methodist Church in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. I was impressed by reading in the Indianapolis Star, that 2,200 of you have assisted in renovating and improving 110 homes of lower-income residents here in Indianapolis. I thank you for your generosity.

I am pleased that you have chosen Indianapolis as your meeting place and hope you have a productive and blessed meeting as you faithfully serve our risen and glorified Christ.

Grace and peace,

Michael J. Coyner
Resident Bishop
Indiana Area of The United Methodist Church